Karma / You Don't Know My Name / Tears Always Win / Listen to Your Heart / Like You'll Never See Me Again / A Woman's Worth / Diary / Love You Down (Ready for the World cover) / Unthinkable / Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart / 101 / Fallin' / Any Time, Any Place (Janet Jackson cover, with Kendrick Lamar joining for Poetic Justice) / Swimming Pools (Kendrick Lamar solo) / You're All I Need to Get By (Mary J. Blige version of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell classic) / When It's All Over / Unbreakable / Not Even the King / If I Ain't Got You / No One / New Day / Murder She Wrote (Chaka Demus & Pliers cover) / Girl on Fire / Brand New Me / Empire State of Mind

Ms. Keys strikes a pose at the start of her two-hour set. Photo: Kelly A. Swift, for the Register

Midway into his opening set Tuesday night at Staples Center, R&B sensation Miguel pointed out something telling about the capacity crowd: they weren't all fashionably late.

"Who knew L.A. could be so punctual?" the Southern California native wondered. On this night, there was good reason to be.

Garnering strong support from pop radio on the heels of last year's Kaleidoscope Dream, the 27-year old from San Pedro has rapidly risen to join a handful of artists in a new wave of soul stars, alongside fellow breakout stars like Frank Ocean and Bruno Mars. If his recent Grammy win for best R&B song wasn't convincing enough, this night's turn sealed it, stealing some of the spotlight from headliner Alicia Keys.

Reminiscent of early Usher before his more club-driven style took over, Mr. Pimental repeatedly displayed an ability to move fluidly yet still hit every note, charging through his melodic "Sure Thing" with spontaneous fits of dance and proving he's no critically hyped flash in the pan.

Bolstering that assertion, "Use Me" played out as one of the strongest showings of the night, Keys' set included. Having cited his love for likes of Queen and Prince, he has added a sincere splash of rock to his sound that turns traditional R&B on its head, while allowing him to show off dynamic vocal range.

By the time he capped the set with his swooning smash "Adorn" it was plain to see how Miguel was destined for this stage, and why he prompted the audience to stand in unison. Yet his strong standout performance only whetted the appetite for the spectacle that followed.

To start, Frank Sinatra's voice blared over the P.A., Ol' Blue Eyes' anthem "New York, New York" supporting visuals of the New York skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge. From behind the glow of the lights, Ms. Keys could be heard singing a teaser from the chorus of "Empire State of Mind" – and the crowd quickly lost its mind.

There were multiple goose-bump-inducing instances, that involuntary reaction that happens at shows when emotion and physical response intersect. Keys is that sort of unique artist, one who conjures such response through her craft more than gimmicks.

Indeed, with only a few bits of big-production choreography and special effects, her two-hour show was most effective when the spotlight pointed solely at the singer and her piano, her voice inspiring the crowd during ballads such as "Like You'll Never See Me Again" and "Unthinkable." And showcasing a healthy dose of seduction, "Listen to Your Heart" ranked alongside the likes of Sade, sultry and absolutely commanding.

Keys did have a few theatrical tricks up her sleeve, diving into a spontaneous rendition of Janet Jackson's "Any Time, Any Place" only to introduce L.A.'s current rap champion Kendrick Lamar, who performed his hit "Poetic Justice," which samples that Jackson hook. She graciously lent Lamar the stage to round out his cameo with the single "Swimming Pools," much to the elation of fans. "These are the kinds of things that can only happen in L.A.," she said upon returning.

Harnessing an ebb and flow of emotion throughout the evening, Keys firmly gripped the audience's attention from the start and never let go. Clearest proof of that came halfway into the set, when she reached back to her still-striking 2001 debut, Songs in A Minor, for a rendition of the breakthrough track "Fallin'" that brought a particular hush over the arena.

Long since having been thrust into the stratosphere of pop culture's elite, Keys retains an almost universal likability to accompany her ever-evolving artistry. Traditional pop doesn't have this kind of depth, while straight-up R&B doesn't always enjoy so much crossover popularity.

Closing out her performance with a full-blown take on "Empire State of Mind," she set some kind of new standard among bona fide superstars appearing here: When you can lead 16,000-plus Californians in singing about the majesty of New York while in the heart of downtown L.A., you've left an indelible mark.

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